Ex-policeman Orin Arthur, who in 2014 was among the gunmen who stormed the Sterling Products Limited compound at Providence where they shot and killed security guard Wilfred Stewart was yesterday sentenced to 14 years in jail for that killing as well as the paid hit on Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer Trevor Abrams the following year.
The sentence also covers Arthur’s unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.
Arthur was initially indicted for the capital offence but opted to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter.
He accepted that on December 8th, 2014, he together with others unlawfully killed Stewart during a robbery and that he unlawfully killed Abrams on February 27th of 2015.
He also accepted that on March 27th, 2015 he had an unlicensed .32 Taurus semiautomatic pistol with 12 live matching rounds and 17 .233 x 46mm rounds of ammunition in his possession, all without licence.
Prosecutor Tyra Bakker told the court that on the day in question Arthur and others went to rob Sterling Products and Stewart was shot and killed in the process.
She said that the security guard was shot once to his face, to his abdomen and to his thigh.
She said that the man’s father still mourns his loss.
Meanwhile, relating the facts as regards the murder of Abrams, Bakker said that Arthur went to a location at Diamond to kill the young man after being paid $5 million. She said that he was the getaway driver in that contracted hit and had abandoned the vehicle at Prospect.
She said that an autopsy revealed that Abrams died of gunshot injuries.
The prosecutor asked Justice Navindra Singh to impose sentences that would reflect the nature and gravity of the killings.
In a plea of mitigation on behalf of his client, defence attorney Dexter Todd said that Arthur was often a “follower” who was easily influenced into wrong-doing, but that his approach and entire outlook on life has changed since being incarcerated.
According to Todd, the person who entered prison is not now the same person.
He said, too, that his client has made use of and participated in several rehabilitative programmes offered by the prisons and has even participated in arts, craft, drama and singing.
Todd described Arthur as a model prisoner and begged the court to consider his early plea, which saves time as opposed to if a trial were to be conducted.
‘Young and dumb’
Meanwhile, describing himself as “young and dumb,” the now 32-year-old Arthur in his address to the court said that he often allowed himself to be negatively influenced by others, but credited his time behind bars from transforming him from a follower to a leader who is “ready to lead.”
Arthur commenced his address by stating that his heart was full with guilt for all the wrongs he had done and that he was sorry for the pain and sorrow he caused the families of both Stewart and Abrams. “I should have known better,” he said, breaking down into tears.
Describing his actions as “cowardly and foolish,” for which he said he took full responsibility and has to now face the consequences, Arthur begged the families of the deceased for forgiveness and the Court for mercy.
Justice Singh imposed a sentence of 14 years each for the killings and three years each for the unlicensed gun and ammunition found on him.
The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently and the prison authorities have been directed to make the necessary deductions for time the prisoner would have so far spent behind bars.
Justice Singh told the offender he hoped that he has a plan in place for when he is released from prison, and further expressed the hope that the plan has nothing to do with criminal activities.
The attack on Sterling Products Limited offices occurred on the evening of December 8th, 2014.
Stewart, of Graham’s Hall, was on duty when a gang stormed the compound.
After fatally shooting Stewart and wounding Mario Gohill, an Indian national working as the company chemist, the invading bandits made their way to the accounts department, where they met with a locked safe and decided to abort the robbery and flee the compound.
Arthur, Uree Varswyk and now-deceased Rayon Paddy had all been jointly charged with Stewart’s murder.
In 2016, Arthur and Varswyk were committed to stand trial. However, Paddy was one of the 17 inmates who perished during the March 3rd, fire that year which was set by inmates to the Camp Street Prison. Varswyk was shot dead after escaping from prison in 2017.
Abrams was gunned down along the Little Diamond Public Road on the East Bank of Demerara.
After the shooting, Abrams apparently tried to drive himself to a hospital but he lost control of his vehicle and ended up in a nearby trench. A passer-by stopped and picked him up and took him to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. He was, however, pronounced dead on arrival.
Varswyk, Paddy and another man—Steven Prescott were all fingered in Abrams’ murder. Varswyk, Prescott and Arthur were all committed on June 1st of 2017 to stand trial for Abrams’ murder.
